http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9728042/ea-sports-stop-producing-college-football-game
Yup, the writing has been on the wall for a while with the student athletes wanting to get paid versus the NCAA believing that they should not get paid but it's official:
EA Sports is done developing the NCAA football series.
So NCAA Football games have been the newest casualty in the war of "to pay or not to pay" fight between college players and the organizations making a ton of money off of said players.
So do you care at all? Are you sad to see your favorite football franchise go down like this? Are you happy because you hate sport games and for some reason believe that if you don't like them, no one should? Are you bored with this forum post already? What do you think?
Yup, the writing has been on the wall for a while with the student athletes wanting to get paid versus the NCAA believing that they should not get paid but it's official:
EA Sports is done developing the NCAA football series.
EA Sports, the popular video game company, will stop producing a college football game after years of legal battles over using the likenesses of college athletes.
The announcement from the company came after the Southeastern Conference, Big Ten and Pac-12 joined the NCAA last month in saying they would no longer license their conference trademarks in the game.
In July, EA Sports' First Amendment defense against claims made by former Arizona State and Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller that the company illegally used his likeness was rejected by a federal court. That followed a similar rejection in a case involving former Rutgers quarterback Ryan Hart.
"We have been stuck in the middle of a dispute between the NCAA and student-athletes who seek compensation for playing college football," EA Sports said in a statement on its website. "Just like companies that broadcast college games and those that provide equipment and apparel, we follow rules that are set by the NCAA -- but those rules are being challenged by some student-athletes. For our part, we are working to settle the lawsuits with the student-athletes."
The NCAA is embroiled in a lawsuit with current and former student-athletes, led by former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon, over the alleged use of their likenesses in EA Sports video games without compensation.
Player treatment has become a hot topic. Players from Georgia Tech, Georgia and Northwestern took the field Saturday with gear they had marked up to protest the NCAA's treatment of athletes on issues ranging from concussions to compensation.
"The ongoing legal issues combined with increased questions surrounding schools and conferences have left us in a difficult position -- one that challenges our ability to deliver an authentic sports experience, which is the very foundation of EA Sports games," the company said.
EA Sports provided athletic departments with more licensing royalties than any other non-apparel licensee, according to data released by Collegiate Licensing Company, which manages the trademarks to more than 150 schools.
EA Sports said that the decision will not affect its support for the "NCAA Football 14" game. The company also said that it is working to reassign staffers who worked on the game.
Information from ESPN's Darren Rovell, Tom Farrey and Kristi Dosh was used in this report.
The announcement from the company came after the Southeastern Conference, Big Ten and Pac-12 joined the NCAA last month in saying they would no longer license their conference trademarks in the game.
In July, EA Sports' First Amendment defense against claims made by former Arizona State and Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller that the company illegally used his likeness was rejected by a federal court. That followed a similar rejection in a case involving former Rutgers quarterback Ryan Hart.
"We have been stuck in the middle of a dispute between the NCAA and student-athletes who seek compensation for playing college football," EA Sports said in a statement on its website. "Just like companies that broadcast college games and those that provide equipment and apparel, we follow rules that are set by the NCAA -- but those rules are being challenged by some student-athletes. For our part, we are working to settle the lawsuits with the student-athletes."
The NCAA is embroiled in a lawsuit with current and former student-athletes, led by former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon, over the alleged use of their likenesses in EA Sports video games without compensation.
Player treatment has become a hot topic. Players from Georgia Tech, Georgia and Northwestern took the field Saturday with gear they had marked up to protest the NCAA's treatment of athletes on issues ranging from concussions to compensation.
"The ongoing legal issues combined with increased questions surrounding schools and conferences have left us in a difficult position -- one that challenges our ability to deliver an authentic sports experience, which is the very foundation of EA Sports games," the company said.
EA Sports provided athletic departments with more licensing royalties than any other non-apparel licensee, according to data released by Collegiate Licensing Company, which manages the trademarks to more than 150 schools.
EA Sports said that the decision will not affect its support for the "NCAA Football 14" game. The company also said that it is working to reassign staffers who worked on the game.
Information from ESPN's Darren Rovell, Tom Farrey and Kristi Dosh was used in this report.
So NCAA Football games have been the newest casualty in the war of "to pay or not to pay" fight between college players and the organizations making a ton of money off of said players.
So do you care at all? Are you sad to see your favorite football franchise go down like this? Are you happy because you hate sport games and for some reason believe that if you don't like them, no one should? Are you bored with this forum post already? What do you think?
